Geezer Butler: Another Black Sabbath Album Is Possible

It was less than a year ago that Black Sabbath released '13', the band's first full-length album to feature Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler together since 'Never Say Die!' in 1978. The record was 35 years in the making, giving Sabbath their first No. 1 album in the United States. And now Geezer Butler says that the legendary metal act may follow up '13' with another album.

During a new chat with Time Out Dubai, Butler revealed there are a number of tracks which didn't make the cut for '13'. "We’ve still got four tracks left over from the album," says Geezer, "so maybe we’ll fill in the other four or five tracks and put out another album. If it’s right. We wouldn’t do it just for the sake of it, or the money or whatever. But yeah, maybe."

Butler also addressed founding drummer Bill Ward's departure from Black Sabbath just a few months after Sabbath announced the reunion of its original lineup. When asked if Ward's exit was about money, Butler pointed instead towards physical ability. "Well to be blatantly honest he just couldn’t do it anymore," Butler begins. "He was thinking that we could take like ten years to do the album, whereas we knew we only had so long to do it and get out on tour, while you’re still good at what you do. Bill was a bit unfit, and ironically in hospital with intestinal problems, so he’d have had to leave the tour anyway if we’d gone out with him. I love Bill – we all love Bill – it’s a horrible thing he couldn’t complete it."

Meanwhile, Butler reveals that although guitarist Tony Iommi has been battling cancer for the past two years, the Sabbath riff lord seems to be winning his fight against lymphoma. "Well, Tony is probably healthier than everybody else now, after all the stuff they’ve done to him," Butler shares. "He’s really done well, he’s definitely in remission now."

That said, Iommi has claimed that the band's upcoming July 4 show could be Black Sabbath's last gig ever, citing the toll touring takes on his health. “It could be the last ever Sabbath show,” Iommi says. “I don’t want it to be, but there’s nothing really planned touring-wise after that show, so for all we know that could be it really. To be honest I don’t want to be touring to this extent too much longer, because it makes me feel so bad.”